Close Reading

Having lived in an apartment complex that was primarily Indian I learned that we had different standards for trash mgmt. Besides that it was fine. Most had not really assimilated and kept to themselves. The smell of the food was a bit much at times, it would make its way in to my apartment and my clothes would smell like their food the next day. Nice people but inconvenient neighbors

My daughter is nearing the end of 2 great years in Canada on an IEC (backpacker) visa from Australia. She’s loved the people, the landscape (mostly lived in BC and Alberta) , and working there…. She picked up interesting jobs, worked very hard, just about made ends meet, has been great. \n\nShe was even offered a permanent job by a major Canadian co last year (she was working for them on a one year role at the time) that would’ve paved the way for her to apply for PR…but she turned it down without a second thought….. for all the reasons you would know about \n\n- Wages aren’t great (maybe 20% less than australia), \n\n- taxes are high (incl having to pay CPP…in australia the employer pays all pension contributions, on top of wages), \n\n- groceries prices out of kilter, \n\n- rents consume most of what’s left…. \n\n- AND, even if you could save a deposit for a house, or shoebox apartment….what’s the point, could never afford it. \n\nShe’s seen nearly all her Canadian friends resigned to their fate of being perennial renters, of being perpetually skint. It’s no life. She’s sad to see it - coming from a country of perpetual optimism and opportunity, to learn over time how such a (on many levels) similar country isn’t like that, that has somehow got it all so wrong. \n\nIf you are thinking of “australia” as your answer, it’d be a fair call\n\n- Avoid Sydney if you can (a less expensive Vancouver) but rest of the place is “workable”. \n\n- Average wage in Perth is $100k (C$90k) and average house (full size…not an apt or townhouse) price is about $700k (C$630k) …so do-able, if tight to start with, for youngsters (like you..!) \n\n- I’ve been to Vancouver’s East Hastings St, and so can confirm is nowhere close to that in Oz. Are sketchy parts of all cities, but it’s definitely not community wide\n\n- are small pockets of homelessness (esp but not only indigenous community) but the governments are mostly (sort of…) “on it” \n\n- sun, sea, sand… and the sharks rarely come close to shore!

I immigrated to Canada in 2010, and here are my experiences inside and outside Canada. I am grateful for a good education; having a Canadian passport opened up many opportunities in other countries to build a higher-level career. However, if I had known the amount of stress, health, and financial damage that I had to endure, I wouldn't have chosen to come to Canada. I would have remained in the US or EU countries where I could achieve even more without suffering to the level I did here. \n\nMisleading immigration promotion: The government-sponsored Canadian immigration program oversells what Canada can offer. It withholds information on the cost of living, chicken-and-egg problems like Canadian work experience is required to get a job at the same level as you are in, Canadian credit history is required to rent a proper apartment, Canadian education is required to secure a high-level job, etc. \n\nHiring process: I knew the Canadian system was not ideal for immigrants over a decade ago, but it got so bad now that even the born citizens are unable to survive. The Canadian government and employers lack a basic understanding that ambitious, high-achieving people immigrate to other countries for high-level positions using proper channels. It's ridiculous to see that Canada uses a point-based system to choose highly qualified personnel to enter their country yet expects them to pursue low-paying entry-level or labor jobs just because they have brown/black skin. At first, I thought having a Canadian degree and experience might help me get high-level jobs, and I didn't think how I spoke or looked would matter when I had high credentials to show off. So, I got my masters & Ph.D. from the Univesity of Toronto, which consistently ranks #1 in Canada. I have a bachelor's from a prestigious university in Asia and had a high-competitive, well-paid federal government job in another country. Still, none of that was recognized in Canada, and I had to volunteer for over 6 months, 10 to 12 hours/day, in a research lab that led to a funded PhD program. I worked even harder during my Ph.D. with many accomplishments, like 40+ research and leadership awards, internationally recognized scientific discoveries, and innovative technologies. I checked all the above and beyond in various domains (research, teaching, leadership, business, engineering consulting, collaborations, etc.). Yet, employers couldn't see past my race, gender, age, etc., and refused to give me the opportunity at the level of my qualifications. Luckily, I managed to secure short-term work in the UK & the US, and it changed even how I see myself. I was highly respected for my credentials, given higher positions than I applied for, and paid 3-4 times more salary and benefits. Of course, bias is an integral part of every society, but my race, gender, age, etc., were not as big of an issue to begin my career at the mid-career stage in these countries as opposed to Canada. \n\nHealthcare: Access to healthcare was another big challenge for me. When I moved to Canada in 2010, due to extremely low temperatures, I developed hives all over my body, my eyes got red, and I coughed for many months. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with me and refused to give me any medication. It took us years to get a family doctor, and we got one through my personal network. In 2015/2016, I developed an autoimmune disease, and my eyeballs popped out. As of today, I did not get to see an eye specialist as they have only 1 specialist in the area, and the waiting time is for years for the first consultation. Every time the family doctor told me that I had iron deficiency, even when I insisted that they should run additional tests and they cleared, they were flagged. The doctor never diagnosed my autoimmune condition. Luckily, during my short-term work in the UK, I saw competent interns who completed my care. NHS is poorer than the medical system in Canada... they are understaffed, don't have hospital beds after surgery, or don't have stock of paper gowns, yet the staff are highly competent and caring. Within 1-2 years, they did complete diagnosis by sending me to various specialists, completed eye surgery, and even found a lifelong condition that was preventing me from realizing my full potential. Following, in the US, the doctors confirmed the diagnosis of all the conditions within 1-2 months and put me on two small pills for life. It has dramatically changed my life, and I have even more admiration for the medical profession. While in Canada, I suffered for over a decade, and every time, I was treated as a hypochondriac and never given a single prescription. \n\nQuality of life: Big cities like Toronto are mainly affected by high crime rates, overpopulation, cost of living, low employment, low salaries, etc. A few months back, there was a huge auto theft, and one of my contacts lost their Lexus car within minutes of parking. Despite being a scientist, I have no faith in politicians or individuals fixing these problems. The salaries are not increasing, but the taxes and cost of living are on the exponential growth curve. The ridiculous part is that Canada expects you to pay taxes even when you are not employed or living in Canada! I lived in London and Boston, and they offer a much higher quality of life and pay. \n\nGrowth potential: No wonder Canada, being a G7 country, falls at the bottom of the list in innovation, equal opportunities, economic growth, etc. It has a decent education system but, due to its inherent bias in the hiring process and monopoly of certain businesses, loses talented immigrants and highly qualified Canadians to the US, the UK, and EU markets. Unless there is a dramatic shift in policies, Canadians, especially new immigrants, cannot expect any positive experience in Canada except for being discriminated against and losing valuable time and money by being there.

Toronto resident here. Cost of living has become more expensive. I share an apartment with my someone and we are paying about $3,000 per month with few amenities. It requires both our incomes to be able to afford to live here and we're just getting by. I have lived in the core of the city since 2005 but was born and raised in the GTA and have never lived anywhere else. Since about 2015, costs have gone way up and now they are just plain unaffordable. I live close to Sherbourne and Queen and while I see a lot of homelessness, I do not really see much violence. The area south of Queen is much more gentrified and I am never walking in fear, no matter what time of day or night. The Transit system has been under construction for over a decade and it just doesn't seem to end. More and more historic buildings are being converted to condos and I see tons of construction everywhere. Traffic has become nightmarish with too many cars and not enough roads. We are considering a move to Montreal because of the rental costs are about $1000 per month lower, though neither of us is francophone. I am not sure how the powers that be will be addressing the housing crisis moving forward. It's a huge challenge and I may not be around to see the outcome. Having said this, it's going to be really tough to say goodbye to this city.

I'm a white guy who lived in another country that wasn't a white majority country. There is discrimination in western countries, but there are ways to deal with it. The discrimination I had to deal with every day was much more than this, but nobody wants to know about that. The way I lived for those several years was to realize that I was different and I just had to maximize dealing with good people and when I knew that I would have to deal with something like having to get an apartment, I took that countries national with me knowing I would get a better deal. I was grabbed by officers at night and threatened. basically whatever is faced here, I had on a regular basis. At first, it pissed me off, but later, I came up with a way to maximize my life to get the best treatment I could. I didn't think I would be coming back to America, but eventually, I came back for more schooling and ended up staying.